Walden, Jacob T., Stone House
Why it's listed
Built about 1785 on North Montgomery Street in the village of Walden, this one-and-one-half story stone house has a rubblestone structure, a gambrel roof covered in wood shingles and a three-bay side-hall plan. It was added to an older, pre-Revolutionary frame cottage. Its gambrel form, with a sweeping front eave, is common in the lower Hudson Valley, New York City and northern New Jersey but rare in Orange County, where steep-roofed stone houses were typical. Inside, the house keeps its original stair, a keeping room with a corner fireplace, two parlors, plaster walls, wide plank floors, moldings and mantels. Jacob T. Walden, a New York City merchant, bought the property in 1812 and developed cotton and woolen mills along the river. The hamlet of Kiddtown was renamed Walden in 1855, the year he died. Restored by the local historical society after 1958, the house now operates as a museum and is the village's first listing on the national register of historic places.
Significance in brief: The house is a rare example in Orange County of a gambrel-roofed, side-hall stone dwelling, a form linked to New York City and New Jersey influence rather than the region's typical steep-roofed stone houses. It also retains its form, floor plan and many interior finishes. It is associated with Jacob T. Walden, a merchant and industrial founder after whom the village was renamed in 1855.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 02000138, listed March 12, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | N. Montgomery St., Walden |
|---|---|
| County | Orange County |
| Listed | March 12, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02000138 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca.1785-ca.1855 |
| Architectural style | Colonial/Dutch |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Industry |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Now used as a museum, owned by the local historical society. It was saved from demolition in 1958 and extensively restored. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.56535, -74.19510 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 02000138.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14706598
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.